Colombia vs Jamaica, summary: Usme, score, goals & highlights | Women’s World Cup 2023 Round of 16
Colombia vs Jamaica: as it happened
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Joe
Full-time report:
Colombia beat Jamaica 1-0 to book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
The game was a hugely tense and frantic affair from the opening whistle, with play constantly being broken up by small fouls that peppered the first half and prohibited any team from finding a sense of control and flow in and out of possession.
The first half came and went with a number of chances that could be counted on the hand of a Simpsons character, despite the good-spirited fiesta atmosphere in the stands.
The second half saw the game open up, with players such as Brown, Shaw, Caicedo and Santos getting a foot on the ball.
But it was Usme who managed to open the scoring after taking down a cross-field ball before tapping round Blackwood and slotting past Spencer from inside the box.
From there, the game flowed one way and then the other, with Jamaica pushing for an equaliser knowing the threat Linda and co. possessed on the wings.
In the end, Colombia's defence stood strong and they progressed to the final 8 of the World Cup.
Colombia will play against England in the World Cup quarter-finals
FULL-TIME!
COLOMBIA ARE THROUGH TO THE WOMEN'S WORLD CUP QUARTER FINALS
Spencer is up for the corner... and Pérez catches the ball!
Colombia survive the late onslaught.
And we've got a stoppage as Colombia open up the Bible of the Dark Arts.
Blackwood to take...
Jamaica have a corner after a nice cross from Matthews is deflected out of play...
Colombia are managing the situation well, with plenty of throw-ins and small fouls chopping up these final minutes into bitesize chunks.
5 minutes added.
Into the final minute of normal time.
Colombia are holding on in Melbourne... just about. Jamaica look threatening going forward, simply due to the number of attacking players they have on the pitch at the moment.
And with Bunny Shaw up front, anything can happen.
Montoya ON
Santos OFF
The switch of play fell to Leicy on the left who sent a diving header to the far corner that clattered off the woodwork!
LEICY SANTOS OFF THE POST!!!!
Great work from C. Swaby as Caicedo is ushered out of play following a dynamic, dangerous run from deep by the Colombian.
Attacking changes for Jamaica as they look to keep their World Cup dream alive.
They are pushing forward a lot more as the clock goes on, but that is leaving more space for Colombia on the counter attack...
Matthews and Simmonds ON
Wiltshire and Brown OFF
Cameron gets the ball on the right and sends in a wonderful cross for Spence, whose header bounces down and just wide of the far post.
Pérez in the Colombia goal had no chance if that was a couple of inches to the right.
HUGE CHANCE FOR JAMAICA
It's Jamaica with all of the ball and all of the space now, with Colombia fully pinned back into their own box. As a result the spaces have opened behind the Jamaican defence, and Caicedo has lightning bolts in her legs.
McNamara ON
Sampson OFF
Shaw collects the second ball after a misplaced header from Carabalí however she can't find her feet quickly enough on the edge of the box and Colombia's midfield swarm her like crazy.
Jamaica are pushing hard to break down Colombia's defensive unit, but if it's not going to come from Bunny Shaw, their options look increasingly limited as the clock ticks on.
Pérez catches the overhit ball into the box that was sent in by Blackwood from deep.
Daniela Arias gets a booking for a shirt pull - a tactical foul - on Shaw as she broke in behind.
We're into the last 20 minutes of the game and as it stands, Colombia will be facing England in the quarter-finals.
Shaw manages to take the ball down on her chest, turn and open up a yard ahead of her before firing the shot towards goal. Unfortunately the effort had no power behind it and Pérez was able to easily sweep up.
Cameron ON
Carter OFF
The Jamaican block had just begun to step up a few yards, and Colombia sniffed out the opportunity, firing a long ball in behind the defensive unit towards Linda, who squirmed into the box before sending a curling effort towards the far post that whizzed over the crossbar.
CAICEDO OVER THE BAR
Brown comes close to getting on the end of a cross from Shaw, but the powerful ball across goal is just too much for her to control.
Santos, Caicedo and Ramírez all link up beautifully on the edge of the box but the ball is hooked away dramatically by Sampson, who had had enough of the flair and trickery.
The flailing arms and flustered sighs are creeping in more and more for a Jamaica side who are realising that the Colombia defence, like their own, is an almost impossibly high wall.
Corner to Colombia...
Shaw heads away.
We forgive you, Colombia and Jamaica, for a lacklustre first half. This game is madness.
At one end, the ball is nearly scrambled over the line by three thousand Jamaica players but it falls to Linda Caicedo, who races away at the speed of light down the other end of the pitch only for her shot to be stopped by Spencer!
THE GAME IS BROKEN
HUGE CHANCE FOR COLOMBIA NOW
BIG CHANCE FOR JAMAICA
Jamaica concede their first goal of the Women's World Cup 2023
The long, cross-field ball from the left drops over the head of Blackwood and is picked up by Usme, who takes one touch round the defender and slots past Spencer!
Just as Jamaica look to be taking control, Colombia strike with Usme!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
COLOMBIA TAKE THE LEAD AGAINST JAMAICA
A potential move for Jamaica breaks down after an inaccurate pass from Spence in the final third.
The Reggae Girlz have taken the initiative so far.
Shaw has had more touches in the opening two minutes than she did in the entire first half. Her back is to goal, however, and she hasn't managed to get in behind the defensive line as of yet.
Jamaica start brightly and work the ball well through the thirds, forcing Guzmán into the tackle on Spence.
And we're off for the second half!
Colombia kick us off...
Half-time stats:
- Jamaica are still yet to concede a single goal in the entire tournament.
- The two teams are last remaining representatives from their respective federations.
- Only Linda Caicedo has scored from open play for Colombia so far in the World Cup. The other two - Usme and Vanegas - came from set-pieces.
Half-time report:
Well, we've had some classic games at this edition of the Women's World Cup, but that was not one of them. Colombia and Jamaica have cancelled each other out superbly well all game and have frustrated the beans out of each other, with small fouls breaking up and potential flow of the play for 45 minutes.
The best chance fell to... Carabalí? OK, sort of, but even then that was a half chance that flew high and wide.
In contrast to the on-pitch action, the atmosphere created by the fans has been simply phenomenal and is definitely not being repaid by the action on the field. This game is either going to be solved a a mistake, a moment of genius, or a penalty shootout.
Half-time!
That's all for now!
Brown nearly gets through on goal at the very last second but Pérez comes out well to collect.
Somehow, in one of those ways only Caicedo knows how, she slipped past two, maybe three Jamaican defenders on the edge of the box. Her shot to the far post, despite her good run, was poor and the Reggae Girlz defend well in the end.
Jamaica win a gift of a corner after miscommunication between Carabalí and Pérez sees the centre-back hoof the ball away behind the goal.
The delivery in is decent but Shaw can't make any decent contact on the ball and it flies wide.
Spence gets booked for a challenge on Linda Caicedo, who is down after being dragged to the ground.
Four minutes added.
We're into the last minute of normal time in the first half... no goals so far.
Guzmán goes for the spectacular after the ball landed at her feet from a corner, shooting sky high and into the stands.
C. Swaby gets the first booking of the game after her trailing hand catches the face of Ramírez. A sense of frustration is creeping in for the Reggae Girlz.
Carabalí found the ball inside the box after the initial cross was headed out of the danger zone.
Her shot was on the turn and she fired high over the bar from close range.
CHANCE! Colombia!
Ramírez gets chopped down by Wiltshire on the left side of the box after the striker did superbly well to drift wide and drive towards goal.
Spece does excellently well to smother Linda Caicedo on halfway as the Real Madrid winger turns to attack down her favoured left wing. Turnovers galore right now as no side can keep hold of the ball.
She looks OK to carry on.
Santos is down after a late leg swing from Shaw.
Leicy Santos tries her luck from distance but the effort is blocked.
We're certainly seeing better football from Colombia now...
Spencer comes out to collect the free-kick but Arias gets in front and forces the corner.
Colombia, all of a sudden, have turned the quality on.
A brilliant passing move from front to back ends with Mayra Ramírez spinning past Backwood before being taken to ground.
Spencer catches a fabulous cross from Leicy Santos that fizzes over the head of Ramírez. Close.
Carter fouls Arias and looks to have stood on the foot of the Colombian, who is now receiving treatment.
Groans come from the stands as Linda's pass doesn't find Mayra Ramírez in what could have been one of the few chances to open up the resilient Jamaica back line.
Carter is down after taking a ball in the face.
Twenty minutes gone, no chances so far.
Ramírez weaves past two Jamaica defenders on the edge of the box before Brown gets back to sweep up and steal the ball.
Colombia are sitting off Jamaica as the Reggae Girlz pass the ball around the back, trying to diffuse the hot atmosphere.
The question of how each team is going to break down the others' block is a question for the boffins to answer.
A loose touch from Blackwood after a heavy pass from Spencer in theJamaica goal gets a massive roar from the crowd, who are buying into the physical on-pitch action with a raucous noise.
I can feel the strength of every tackle thump through my chest like a bass guitar twanging in a rock concert. Intense is not doing this atmosphere justice.
The crazy thing is that I don't think the game is particularly aggressive, just hugely passionate.
We're playing again and for the first ten minutes we've seen two incrediblyintense teams, if not open and fast-flowing ones.
Caicedo's few touches have been the brightest sparks not create by hefty tackles.
Anyone got the odds on a red card?
It's Shaw now who is down in what is already a hugely physical game.
And Ospinais back on the pitch.
Ospina is receiving treatment after taking an unintentional Bunny Shaw elbow to the chest.
The flag goes up as van Zenten receives behind the line from Shaw, who had genuinely shoved off around 5 Colombia players in quite an extraordinary showing of strength on the edge of the box.
We're back underway.
Early grimaces for Colombia as it seems like Usme is in a lot of pain. It looked like she got a calf-full of studs down the back of her leg.
For now, she's hobbling on.
Woosh. The first touches for Linda are obvious to hear as the crowd go crazy as she slips past Wiltshire before being taken down by the right-back, who looks set for a tough night.
Jamaica have had most of the ball in the opening moments, with an early half-chance for Brown inside the box that is fired over.
The game is a minute old and it's a chess match already, with the two teams clearly aware of the dangers on the pitch.
And we're off!
A quarter final tie against England is up for grabs.
Gianni Infantino's here, by the way. In case you were interested.
That's the last mention of him for the day. Promise.
But first, the national anthems...
Colombia's national anthem almost broke the stadium! What a noise!
Here we go!
Here come the two teams!
It's a fantastic atmosphere in Melbourne
Two great sets of fans are making a huge noise inside and outside the ground!
A reminder of the starting XIs:
Colombia [4-2-3-1]:
Pérez
C. Arias - D. Arias - Carabalí - Guzmán
Ospina - Bedoya
Leicy - Usme - Linda
Mayra R
***
Jamaica [4-4-2]:
Spencer
Wiltshire - A. Swaby - C. Swaby - Blackwood
Brown - Spence - Sampson - Carter
Shaw - van Zenten
The warmups are underway!
Both teams are out on the sunny pitch in Melbourne and the pre-game warmups are currently ongoing ahead of kick-off, which is just minutes away!
Who will Colombia / Jamaica face in the next round?
It will be the European Champions England who are the opponents of the winning team today.
120 minutes of on-pitch action could not separate Nigeria from The Lionesses, who went down to ten players after Lauren James stamped on the back on Michelle Alozie.
The game went to penalties, with Chloe Kelly's strike sealing the deal for the side who will be a huge test in the quarter final.
World Cup shocks
So far during this World Cup we've seensomehugeshocks, with many of the pre-tournament favourites being knocked out in the early rounds.
Olympic champions Canada were the first major nation to get an early flight home, as Nigeria and Australia both progressed through Group B.
Spain, in group C, despite progressing, were thumped 4-0 by Japan in Group C, a team that has shocked many for their progressive, dynamic style of play.
The shock of Group H, where Colombia were drawn, was seeing Germany leave the tournament after the first round, with a string of poor performances punishing the side that had so much promise and potential ahead of them.
In Jamaica's group, it was Brazil who were the shock failuresas they crashed out due to a resilient Jamaica side who are yet to concede a goal.
And finally, in what might be the biggest surprise of them all, the reigning champions, the team looking for the three-peat, the USWNT, lost to Sweden in the Round of 16, failing to make the podium for the first time ever.
Jamaica starting XI:
GK: Spencer
DEF: Blackwood, C. Swaby, A. Swaby, Wiltshire
MID: Brown, Spence, Sampson, Carter
ATT: Shaw, van Zenten
Jamaica: how they got here
Now it's time to tell Jamaica's story. The Reggae Girlz came second in a group that nobody thought they would get through: being drawn against Brazil and France - two of the world's strongest teams prior to the tournament - was seen as a death sentence from the off.
However, a strong, opening day draw to France was followed up by a 1-0 win over Panama thanks to a goal from Allyson Swaby in the second half, giving Jamaica their first three points of the campaign.
A final day showdown against Brazil turned out to be one of the most memorable nights in Jamaican football history. They defended their way to a 0-0 draw against As Canarinhas, a result that send them through and the South Americans home.
Now they come up against Colombia, a side that have also surprised with their recent performances. But Jamaica are yet to concede a single goal in the entire tournament so far...
"I think it makes it better that you have two countries like this who enjoy life first"
Jamaica coach Lorne Donaldson spoke of how both the Jamaica and Colombia squads were partying together in a club ahead of the Round of 16 clash in Melbourne.
Colombia starting XI:
Real Madrid's LindaCaicedostarts for Colombia along with Mayra Ramírez.
Ana María Guzmán comes in for Vanegas.
The stage is set!
The sunny Melbourne sky is ready to welcome the two surprise packages to the knockout rounds of the World Cup!
Want to know your Canaleras from your Cafeteras?
Sound like a real pro next time you get asked by checking out this handy guide from Roddy who's put together every team's nickname from the tournament.
Jamaica's coach speaks ahead of the game:
This is like a boxing match, someone will go down. We want to be standing when the game is over.
We won't change much, but we will give it a good shot
A lack of goals is not a major concern. We have played some good teams, two of the top teams, we were supposed to lose by six or seven.
Here's all the information you need if you want to watch Las Cafeteras take on the Reggae Girlz in the Women’s World Cup Round of 16.
It promises to be a hugely entertaining and historic tie, with both teams coming through the group stage in extraordinary fashion.
Who's the ref?
Kate Jacewisz is the woman with the whistle for the game today.
Back in 2020, became the first woman to referee a men’s A-League game: Melbourne City beat the Newcastle Jets.
This edition of the tournament is her second in total, having been one of the referees selected for the 2019 World Cup held in France.
Colombia have been one of the surprises of the tournament so far
The South American side topped Group H in what has been, without a doubt, one of the stories so far of this amazing tournament.
Germany, Morocco and Korea Republic were the three teams drawn alongside them and progression from the group, while never impossible, was always going to be tough. Not only did Las Cafeteras storm to the top and win the group, but they beat Germany - many people's favourites to win the tournament outright - in the process.
After losing to in their only other last-16 appearance back in 2015, Colombia on the hunt for their first-ever victory in the knockout rounds of the Women's World Cup.
Team news:
Only one player out of the two squads is unavailable for selection today as Colombia's Manuela Vanegas is suspended for the tie.
Apart from that, both managers have all of their players ready and waiting for the game.
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the live coverage from AS USA of the Women'sWorldCup Round of 16 game between Colombia and Jamaica!
It's Joe here today to guide you through the action taking place in Melbourne!